Improvement in machines for dressing the leaves of the agave plant



E. JUANES y PATRULLO.

Disintegrating Fibrous Plants,

Patented March 5, 1861.

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E. JQY PATRULLO, OF MERIDA, MEXICO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR DRESSING THE LEAVES OF THE AGAVE PLANT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 31.616, dated March 5, 1861.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDUARDO JUANES Y PATRULLO, of Merida, in the State of Yucatan, and Republic of Mexico, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Dressing the Leaves of Agate Americana, 850.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, the line 00 a, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a plan or top View of the same.

Similarletters of referencein hot-h views indicate corresponding parts.

The leaves of Agave Americana, or, in Spanish, Hoja cZe Jeniqaen, are composed of fibers similar to the fibers of hemp, said fibers being inclosed and surrounded by the fleshy portion of the leaf. Then this portion is removed, the fibers can be used like ordinary hemp. All experiments hitherto made for the purpose of dressing the leaves of Agave Americana by machinery have failed, because the fleshy portion of the leaves, even when the same are dry, adheres to the fibers with such a tenacity that it is very difficult to separate it from them. After a great many experiments I have now succeeded in constructing a machine which completes the operation of dressing said leaves to perfection; and this machine consists, essentially, of a series of alternate combedged and smooth-edged heaters of peculiar form, and arranged on a rotary drum, in combination with suitable feed-rollers,and with an adjustable hinged apron which keeps the ends of the leaves to the heaters.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to the drawings.

The drum A, to the circumference of which the heaters B B are secured, rotates on a shaft, 0, motion being imparted to the same by means of a crank or pulley in any convenient manner. The heaters consists of wed ge-shaped pieces of steel or any other suitable material extending all the way across the face of the drum, being secured to the same by means of screw-bolts and nuts a, or in any other convenient manner. are brought to sharp edges, and those of the heaters B areleft smooth, while the points of the heaters B are notched, giving to the edges the form of combs. The notches between the points of said combs must, however, not be made any deeper than necessary to allow said points to penetrate through the thickness of the leaves to be dressed, so that while the points separate the fibers the inner portions of the notch es scrape off the fleshy parts which adhere to and surround said fibers. The leaves are fed to the drum one after the other over a feed-plate, H, by means of feed-rollers D D, to which motion is imparted by means of pulleys d d and gear-wheels e c from the main shaft,and the upper roller,D,has its hearings in a hinged frame, E, so that by raising said frame the action of the rollers on the leaf is suspended. From the feed-rollers the leaves pass down to a segmental apron, F, which is hinged to the sides of the frame supporting the entire mechanism, and which forms an arc of about ninety degrees or less. The lower extremity of this apron is supported by a bellcrank lever, G, which is operated by the handle c, which extends near to the feed-table H, so that it can be conveniently reached by the operator. Instead of this handle, however, a treadle might be arranged in such relation to the ,bell crank lever G that the apron could be raised and lowered by the action of the foot. The object of this apron is to keep the points of the leaves in close contact with the points of the heaters.

The operation is as follows: After the machine has been started, the point of a leaf is entered between the two feed-rollers D D, the butt-end being firmly grasped by the hand. By the action of the ,feed-rollers the leaf is now slowly fed toward the drum, and the the roller D israised, the leaf is withdrawn and reversed, and the other end is now dressed in a similar manner.

The points of the heaters Af- .ter one end of the leaf has thus been dressed,

By the action of this machine the leaves of the Agave Americana and of other similar plants can be separated entirely from the fleshy parts and dressed ready for use bysimpie and easy operation.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The within-described arrangement of alternate comb-edged and smooth-edged beaters B B on the circumference of a rotary drum, A, in combination with feed-rollers D D, and with an adjustable hinged apron, F, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

EDUARDO JUANES Y PATRULLO. Witnesses:

0. WV. GOWTAN, J AMES LAIRD. 

